Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Here on the East Coast of the USA, I know several Prius owners ... they all have a garage or carport. I hope to get a plug in electric when GM comes out with the Volt.

Possibly, apartment dwellers with short commutes could invest in a mover`s dolly and a large portable battery? I expect some employers will also create plug-in parking, to "green" their image.

What is it about the "7 miles" statement that all y`all don`t understand?  You`re scoffing because???

Re-read it.

It`s a HYBRID.  Hybrids run on electric and gas.

With the improved electronics, the car achieves 100 MPG! That`s about twice the MPG that most of the best Hybrids are getting these days. A VERY huge improvement!

The car probably can take you to the neighborhood store down the road and back without using any gasoline (if you live in the city or near a store, of course).  But that`s NOT the primary selling point.

Think about it. Your current vehicle gets what - 25 MPG on a good day?  You drive an average of 15000 miles.  15000/25 = 600 gallons per year = about $1920 per year spent on gas (at $3.20/gal).

With this hybrid, the numbers are 15000/100 = 150 gallons per year = about $480 per year spent on gas!

You would be right in saying that the added expense of a hybrid over a conventional model wipes out the benefit, and you`d be correct in many situations. Last I checked, hybrids added about $3000 to $4000 to the price of a vehicle.

But let`s say you live in a rural area. Or you drive a lot in your job. Let`s look at some other numbers.

At 25000 miles per year:
25000/25 = 1000 gallons = $3200 spent on gas.
25000/100 = 250 gallons = $800 spent on gas. The $1600 savings recoups the added hybrid expense in about 2 or 3 years!

At 30000 miles per year:
30000/25 = 1200 gallons = $3840 spent on gas.
30000/100 = 300 gallons = $960 spent on gas. The $2880 savings recoups the added hybrid expense in about 1.5 or 2 years!

My wife drives 40000 miles per year:
At 40000 miles per year:
40000/25 = 1600 gallons = $5120 spent on gas.
40000/100 = 400 gallons = $1280 spent on gas. The $3840 savings recoups the added hybrid expense in about 1 year, then we are saving $3840 annually as compared to the current vehicle!


Taking it further, she is driving an SUV, with mileage of 17 MPG. Let`s plug this in and see the numbers:

At 40000 miles per year:
40000/17 = 2353 gallons = $7530 spent on gas.
40000/100 = 400 gallons = $1280 spent on gas. The $6250 savings recoups the added hybrid expense in about 8 months, then we are saving $6250 annually as compared to the current vehicle!

In four years, the hybrid has put $25,000 into our wallet which would have been polluting the air and otherwise contributing to the development of the Middle East. But now, after four years, our savings allow us to purchase a NEW hybrid with the funds saved!

Yes, the electric recharge is going to be an added expense. We`d need to know this number, too. Would it be $50/month? $100/month?

And we`d need more electric generation to meet the demand. More nuclear, solar, or wind. Not more coal-fired!

And, right now, there isn`t a mass-produced car out there which plugs-in. It will be a nice amenity for apartment management to provide... the facilities to charge your car overnight. A point of differentiation among apartment complexes vying for residents.

This 100 MPG Hybrid is HUGE! And, like any product, not everyone will have a use for it. But for those who do...



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Enjoy seeing the web and computer languages and methodologies evolve, or rather, revolve, for over 20 years! Revolve = rename and repackage the same old features and processes, and claim that the old is actually new!